Ministers work to protect the environment

Moritz Leuenberger met his European counterparts from German-speaking countries on Tuesday to tackle common challenges in protecting the environment.

Leuenberger, who heads Switzerland’s environment ministry, said big polluters like China, Brazil and the United States must also commit to reducing their emissions.

The meeting in Salzgitter, Germany, comes shortly before an environmental conference in Denmark. Leuenberger discussed Switzerland’s efforts to reduce its emissions by 20 per cent against 1990 levels with ministers from Austria, Germany and Liechtenstein.

The ministers also discussed the development of a global label for biofuels to help ensure agricultural land used for food does not complete with those plots where crops are grown for fuel.

Other topics included biodiversity and its importance for the economy as well as how to slow the disappearance of species. Switzerland is currently developing a strategy to promote biodiversity.

swissinfo.ch with agencies